Rosemary as boxwood replacement in formal garden?

10 years ago

Greetings fellow gardeners,

I'd like to put a formal garden in my front yard, and I'd like to use rosemary in lieu of English boxwood and shape it into a hedge. Can anyone tell me how that hedge would look in the middle of a Maryland winter? I'm not sure if rosemary would maintain its appearance, die back completely, or die back in patches, so the hedge would look like it had mange.

Thanks,
Eric

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

bossyvossy
10 years ago
I think rosemary is hardy to z8a so I doubt it will survive your winters. Besides, for a formal setting, I would consider rosemary's growth pattern a little too messy. Personally, I don't have a suggestion for something other than boxwood, plus I live in a warmer zone. But I do longer formal gardens
0
fatamorgana2121
10 years ago
The more hardy rosemary varieties like "arp" survive in zone 7 though I'm not sure how hedge-like some of the more hardy varieties are.

FataMorgana
0
Related Professionals
Ashland Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Newcastle Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Huntley Landscape Contractors · Louisville Landscape Contractors · Milford Mill Landscape Contractors · Parker Landscape Contractors · Smyrna Landscape Contractors · Tigard Landscape Contractors · Wanaque Landscape Contractors · Whitehall Landscape Contractors · Woodburn Landscape Contractors · Houston Roofing & Gutters · Little Rock Roofing & Gutters · Sebring Roofing & Gutters · Murray Roofing & Gutters
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
10 years ago
Would lavender do the job? Similar leaf shape and more easily clipped into a hedge.
0

Related Stories

FLOWERS AND PLANTS Easterners: Consider This Native Alternative to Boxwood

By Curtis Adams

Inkberry, or Ilex glabra, excels as a foundation plant or formal hedge perfectly suited to the East Coast

Full Story

GARDENING GUIDES Boxwood: Still Shape-Shifting After 350 Years

By Mary Jo Bowling

Wild or mild, the humble boxwood still brings style and order to all kinds of gardens

Full Story

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Boxwood Alternatives Bring the Chelsea Flower Show to You

By Frank Organ

Don’t let box blight limit your plans to borrow garden design ideas from the renowned British event

Full Story

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Boxwood

By Becky Harris

This elegant evergreen can shape shift into forms limited only by a gardener's imagination and a clipper's reach

Full Story

GREAT HOME PROJECTS How to Replace Your Lawn With a Garden

By June Scott Design

New project for a new year: Lose the turfgrass for energy savings, wildlife friendliness and lower maintenance

Full Story

MY HOUZZ My Houzz: Classic Garden Style for a 1745 Connecticut Farmhouse

By Rikki Snyder

A boxwood maze, a sweet wildflower garden and lush plantings surround a designer’s East Coast home

Full Story

GARDENING GUIDES 10 Late-Winter and Early-Spring Bloomers for the West

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Tired of waiting for spring to arrive? Try these drought-tolerant, flowering plants for color that starts in late winter

Full Story

INSPIRING GARDENS Native Plants Bring 10 Southern California Front-Yard Gardens to Life

By Annie Thornton

Rare plants, rain gardens and wildlife habitats are just a few of the features showcased on the 2016 Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour

Full Story

LANDSCAPE DESIGN The Garden Edge: Rethink Your Garden Pathways

By Jessica Nockolds

The right plant choices not only frame your paths with distinction, but they also take you on a journey of the senses

Full Story

LANDSCAPE DESIGN How to Create a Cottage-Style Garden

By Claudia De Yong Garden Design

If you like an abundance of plants — and visits from birds, bees and butterflies — this may be the style of yard for you

Full Story

Rosemary as boxwood replacement in formal garden?

Comments (3)

bossyvossy

fatamorgana2121

Related Professionals

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK